Summer Salads are fun, refreshing and fulfilling and they work great as a satisfying summer main course or a starter to any meal. In only a few easy quick steps you can prepare a refreshing culinary extravagance that will have you and your guest coming back for more!

Here are a few of my favorites.

The Maximum Living Gazpacho Salad

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, quartered and sliced
1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 ½ cups (6oz) grated Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup sliced black olives

Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
½ cup (4oz) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tortilla chips to garnish

Directions:
*In a large bowl, toss the diced avocado with the lemon juice. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss together.

*In another bowl, whisk together the lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, cayenne pepper, cumin and jalapeno. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

*Toss the dressing into the salad ingredients just before serving. Garnish with tortilla chips

The Maximum Living Extravagant Strawberry Jell-O

Ingredients:
1 10oz package of frozen strawberries
1 6oz box of strawberry jell-O unsweetened
1 14oz can crushed pineapple
2 bananas sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 c. sour cream
1 c. boiling water

1 9x9 glass baking dish ( if you double the recipe use a 9x13 glass baking dish)

Directions:
Dissolve jell-O completely in large bowl with one cup of hot water. Make sure you dissolve completely as you don't want the jell-0 to turn to rubber. Add your frozen strawberries slightly thawed, bananas, pineapple (including juice) and nuts. Pour ½ mixture into your baking dish and put into the freezer for ½ hour. Remove from freezer and add sour cream then add the rest of the mixture over sour creamâ¦

Now I know Jell-O gets a bad rap, but you'll be proud to take this jell-o dish to any potluck.

Have fun and rememberâ¦.YOU CAN DO IT!
Randy